the senate will be back tomorrow. here are the numbers to use. 3885.licans -- 202-585- -3886.ats -- 202-585 585-3887.nce -- 202- we are also available on facebook and twitter. what was the best but the white house and senate democratic leadership would have expected out of these amendment votes? go ahead. >> it look like the white house might be able to wrestle 60 votes out of the biggest proposals that they have been pushing since the newtown shootings. that was an expansion of the background check system. that was in the form of the manchin-toomey amendment. it did not succeed. it fell six votes short. they were hoping to get 60 or 61 or 62. they did not get that. >> the president called those 60 votes a distortion of senate rules. what did he mean by that? >> pretty much any amendment in any bill itself can be filibustered or at least subject to that. it really empowers the minority. that is the reason the senate was set up the way it is set up. increasingly we are seeing that the minority of republicans in the sen